PDF Summary:The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle

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In this Shortform summary, we have divided the book’s contents into a step-by-step guide to understanding what it means to be present, how it can improve your life, and how to put it into practice.

• First, we’ll talk about what gets in the way of us being present and why not being present creates so many of the problems in our lives.
• Then, we’ll explore how to become more present and how it will impact your life.

Given how abstract the principles can be, we have added examples to help illustrate many of the concepts. We will note them as (Shortform examples) when they are not directly from the book, but we believe they’re faithful to the author’s meaning.

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Much of our unhappiness is caused by putting too much mental energy and attention on the past and future, instead of being present in the Now. We don’t gain anything from dwelling on the past and future because we have no control over them — it’s too late to do anything about what happened in the past, and we can’t do anything about the future until it gets here (and when it does, we don’t even know if it will happen the way we expect).

The more we live in the past, the more we carry pain from past moments with us in the Now. Too much focus on the past creates guilt, regret, resentment, sadness, bitterness, and unforgiveness.

When we live in the future — always hoping and anticipating what may come later — we skip over experiencing the present.

Too much focus on the future creates anxiety, tension, stress, and worry. Jesus asked the disciples, “Can anxious thought add a single day to your life?”

Stress is so common that it’s practically considered a normal part of life, but in fact it is unnecessary. When you are so focused on getting to some point in the future (e.g. finishing a project or crossing off everything on your to-do list), the present becomes just a...

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In order to connect with your true self, you must stop identifying with your ego. You may resist letting go of this identity because if you are not made up by the contents of your mind, then who are you? But problems arise when you identify with your ego, believing that your thoughts, memories, beliefs, and mental condition define you.

While cultural conditioning, past experiences, and other influences can, indeed, affect your behavior, there’s no need to cling to them as your identity. Allow yourself to be present and their influence may or may not come out naturally.

The Ego Manufactures Problems

The ego only has as much power as you give it, and it gains power when you identify with it. Your ego is threatened by your true Being because when you connect with your true Being, you realize that, by contrast, you are not your ego. (We will explain what, exactly, your True Being is in the next section.)

You can feel your true Being when you are present in the Now, so the ego is also threatened by presence. In the interest of self-preservation, your ego will do whatever it can to prevent you from being present and identifying with your true self.

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Pleasure is a temporary feeling of happiness that comes from something outside yourself (e.g. a great meal, a fun vacation, romantic love). When that external source is absent, pleasure turns into pain, creating a positive-negative emotional cycle.

Love, Peace, and Joy Aren’t Emotions

You might think, “but aren’t we pursuing love, peace, and joy through presence? How can those be negative?”

True love, peace, and joy are states of being, although we often confuse them with fleeting emotions like pleasure and euphoria. You can only feel love, joy, and peace by being present in the Now; they will always be determined by your internal state. In contrast, emotions respond to external factors.

Love can be confused with euphoria, which inevitably fades, creating a love-hate cycle. Real love — from presence and an internal state of peace and love — can never turn into hate or cause suffering.

Think of your past romantic relationships. There was probably euphoria in the beginning. That feeling ebbs and over time things come up that cause arguments or even a breakup, and what you thought was love turns into bitterness or hate. This completes the love-hate cycle....

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Not all pain-bodies are created equal. Some people have lived through more frequent or more severe pain, creating greater pain-bodies. Additionally, each pain-body has different triggers and different levels of sensitivity to those triggers.

• Some people’s pain-bodies are dormant most of the time, only awakening when something triggers them. Others, including many chronically unhappy people, have pain-bodies that are active virtually all the time. These people have likely made their pain-body part of their identity.
• Some pain-bodies are nagging but less destructive, causing depression or irritation. Other pain-bodies are physically or emotionally violent, attacking those around you or attacking you — their host — with negative thoughts and feelings, even leading to suicide.

Problem: Identifying With the Pain-Body Only Brings More Pain

Like the ego, the pain-body only has the power to survive and thrive if you identify with it. When the pain-body’s negativity — whether anger, depression, self-pity, or resentment — takes over your thoughts, you are identifying with it. When you do so, you’re feeding into the pain and creating more of the negative energy that...

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• If you can’t drop it, you can also practice making yourself “transparent” to the irritation. Imagine the solidity of your body dissolving, and allow the irritant to pass right through you. Break down the “wall” inside you that the irritant (e.g. a loud noise, a rude comment, an inconvenient circumstance) is bumping up against, and let it pass through you.

It is true that external circumstances in your life can create challenges for you, but they are merely “situations” unless/until you start labeling them as “problems.” Rather than resisting the present because it can be unpleasant or painful, try to stop labeling things as good or bad and instead accept it as reality, as part of the cycle of highs and lows. Judging a present moment and circumstances as bad will make you want to resist it, which in itself will cause more pain. If you accept it as it is, then you can work with it (more on this later).

• Superficial changes can occur to seemingly improve your life, like winning the lottery. However, if you're carrying pain from the past and don't become more present in the Now, then you'll still carry that pain into the future and will feel the same. You may have a...

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We are most creative when we are present. Artists tend to talk about creative processes characterized by ideas flowing through them, not painstaking sessions of overanalysis.

• (Shortform example: Many famous songs — from Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” to the Beatles’ “Yesterday” — were written in a matter of minutes. In fact, studies show that the area of the brain associated with thinking is different than the area of the brain active in creative tasks, suggesting that overthinking cognitively inhibits creativity.)

The mind is good at collecting, storing, and analyzing information. True creativity and innovation come from moments of no-mind, when you are unrestricted by thoughts (e.g., “No one has ever been able to do this before.”) and judgments (e.g. “This is a terrible idea!”).

• Scientists have reported that great breakthroughs came when their thoughts were quiet.
• In 1945, French mathematician Jacques Hadamard sent an inquiry to eminent mathematicians — including Einstein — about their working methods. He concluded that thinking “plays only a subordinate part” in the creative act.

When you need to approach something with creativity and innovation, take a...

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It’s important to also recognize that the physical bodies of all living things will inevitably die and rot. All thoughts will die with the body, but your divine presence and energy will remain. The same is true of every other living creature.

• The book insists that nothing real ever dies. Knowing this, and accepting the certain death of your body (your physical form) and your ego (an illusion) helps to clarify what and who you really are.

The mind can know facts and information, but it cannot understand things or people on a deeper level. The mind is useful for practical purposes in day-to-day life. Presence, on the other hand, is what helps you connect with people and nature.

• For example, someone can know things about you on paper — facts and stats and even personal statements from you — but she will not truly know you until meeting and connecting with you. She will not know your mannerisms, the nuances of your character, or other aspects that make you you.

Both Partners Must Be Present For a True Love Relationship

Without presence, a romantic relationship will fall victim to a love/hate cycle because true love can only be felt through presence. The...

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When you are present, you are like a deep lake. The surface of the water is stirred somewhat by external conditions — rain, wind, or calm. Below the surface, the water always remains calm and still, carrying on regardless of the passing weather. Whatever life situation you may experience, no matter the ups and downs of life’s cycles, your peace remains undisturbed under the surface.

If you know or can find someone who is very present or even enlightened, they can help you in your journey. No one can do it for you, but it can be helpful to have people to fuel your fire and help you stay present.